"She is like the Ganga as it comes out of Gangotri – turbulent and very youthful. I have seen a certain spark in her eye which is just the same as it was 40 years ago. When she responds to something or sees something that moves her, you see it reflected in her entire being – her eyes light up and she smiles instinctively" - Rajeev Sethi
As the chairperson of Bennett Coleman & Company – oneof the world’s most powerful media groups today – Indu Jain oversees an empire of over $4 million. A name synonymous with power and respect, she is courted and followed by politicians, business tycoons, the rich and the famous, universally. And yet, here is a matriarch whose life is steeped wholly in spiritualism. How she straddles both worlds –or rather, how the prism of spirituality pervades all other worlds for her, is essentially, Indu Jain’s story.
Equally at ease at ashrams as she is in the frenzied newsrooms run by her enterprise, her office, she confesses, is only an extension of her spirituality, and the desire to share knowledge. It is this thirst for learning that drove her to become a seeker, in the first place, and the way she has lived her life is a testament to this conviction. A lady with a commanding aura, Indu Jain’s story is as unusual as it is monumental.
"Living in the present means not having regret for the past, nor worrying for the future. Life is what is now. I was born a seeker. I was very inquisitive and curious to explore. I don’t see a choice between ‘being happy’ and ‘having a purpose’ in life. The alternatives that seem different may just turn out to be the same. Life is an incredible adventure and you should give it your best" - Indu Jain
Indu Jain might not be as written about as other media barons and baronesses, but those who know her you say that she wouldn’t have it any other way. Content to operate from the background, she leaves the running of the business – the largest media house in the world, no less – to her sons, but her role of the peacemaker, the crisis-manager, the one answer to conflicts, is what holds this giant empire together. To successfully oversee a business of this might, while living a life seeped in spiritual pursuits – here she tells us why the two need not be mutually exclusive. Read More
Indu Jain might not be as written about as other media barons and baronesses, but those who know her you say that she wouldn’t have it any other way. Content to operate from the background, she leaves the running of the business – the largest media house in the world, no less – to her sons, but her role of the peacemaker, the crisis-manager, the one answer to conflicts, is what holds this giant empire together. To successfully oversee a business of this might, while living a life seeped in spiritual pursuits – here she tells us why the two need not be mutually exclusive.
IJ: The role of the media is of great responsibility. It has the power to make or break; hence, it should be a responsible co-creator. It is the source of all information for most people. This role can be used very responsibly to spread awareness. In a country as diverse as India, the priorities of different kinds of people are different, their tastes are different and the issues they are dealing with are also different. So, the challenge is to find the right note that resonates across all these different people, and find stories and issues that matter to everybody. People are increasingly getting interested in how the country is being governed. In such a scenario, the media has a very critical role to play.
The Indian media has been through different phases in the last decade or so. In the beginning, every little development or incident was portrayed sensationally. Although, that still happens today, the audiences have matured. We, being the largest media group, take this very seriously, and take utmost care that news is given as news and not as a sensation. The portrayal of content has become more responsible, and the media is being used as a tool to cause real and positive changes in society. Media should be giving positive suggestions. They should be like a friend, philosopher and guide to the rulers of the country. Media has to be visionary.
IJ: The diversity of India sets it apart from other nations. Most other developed nations have homogeneous societies: people have similar tastes, priorities, languages, etc. So, while the media penetration is nearly total in developed nations, it is split in India due to these factors. A Malayalam channel is not watched in north India, for example. Therefore, the challenge is to be so comprehensive that you appeal to everybody, at the same time being responsible. While many things in the media in developed nations have been tried, tested and set in stone, our media will continue to experiment with new things for a long time.
IJ: Beautify the change according to the need of time.
IJ: Bringing balance, synergy and respect for each other’s performance.
IJ: Lending my yeast to everyone and support the group. I am called ‘Shri Maa’. To be called ‘Shri Shri Maa’ will take a little more time.
IJ: People attract attention, I don’t do so. I don’t desire to be written about so much. If I wanted, it would have been so.
IJ: Times Foundation’s motto is: Your mission is our mission. Any campaign that we choose, Times Foundation strives to get it engrained in people’s minds and the government’s, so that it is scaled up and everyone benefits. We ensure the sustainability of any such campaign even after the momentum is over. We want that people start experiencing the anand or joy in giving more than receiving.
IJ: We are usually the pioneers of innovative ideas. The entire media was averse to the idea of spirituality and so, it was our ingenuity, our recognition of the need of the hour, that directed us to offer that subject to our readers, through The Speaking Tree.
IJ: Smiling at them, whether they are right or wrong, is a very good practice in life.
IJ: The biggest achievement is having great torchbearers and big hearted people at all the departments of the Times Group, and a great synergy they bring together in making the organization what it is today. Of course, the strong foundation has been laid by the two brothers with their infrangible togetherness. Popularizing spirituality in each reader’s home and creating respect for all the faiths is my yet-to-be achieved milestone.
IJ: It is quite high and rising. Indian spirituality has a lot of depth to offer and it is finding an appeal in youngsters now. Yet, I feel, more should be done by many more spiritual masters and spiritual organizations to involve the youth. For example, the Art of Living has a youth-focused club ‘Yes Plus’. Spirituality should be simplified and modernized for the youth to be able to implement it in their everyday life. It should be live, interactive and fun-oriented.
IJ: The competition and struggle that today’s youth face is understandable, but they have to deal with their inner self. Through meditation and sankalpa, young people can deal with the tough times that they face. Of course, they should be well groomed in our traditional values.
IJ: Definitely, there is a big change in thinking and expression now. I realize that there is no exponential growth unless the people are not awakened to their spiritual selves. They should be given more opportunities to develop this by making available to them courses and discourses which explain and teach this in detail, like what the Art of Living is doing currently. Only then will the true transformation happen. That will be the true ‘living’ of my speech, to ‘walk the talk’.
IJ: We need more of them. You can see that the ones who have made it there have made a mark in their fields. That needs to be encouraged. On a lighter note, I feel that to excel, men require thirty-three per cent reservation, rather than women.
Women have always been centres of power. That’s how they have been portrayed in our mythology as well, for e.g., Durga, Kali, Saraswati etc. This development will result in a more mature society for us. Since God has always chosen women to be of the highest stature and run the Universe, so should the government.
IJ: If they are, I think they are doing a good job of it. In your earlier question, you mentioned that women are taking more prominent roles in businesses. It can only happen if they have the ability in the first place, which they have always had. It is simply becoming evident now. And the challenge of balancing the traditional and modern is something that we can easily take in our stride. In fact, men should allow them more freedom and exposure, and the results will be even better.
IJ: People commit horrible atrocities on other people, some of which happen to be against women. I prefer to avoid generalizations because they can never be accurate, only approximate. The more mature a society is, the fewer such incidents we will see. Evidently, we have a lot of ground to cover on that front. Furthermore, if women were more empowered money-wise, education-wise, and freedom-wise, they will never allow these atrocities to happen. These happen only because they are not sufficiently empowered.
IJ: I wouldn’t say degenerating; Rather, I’d say we are evolving. We, in India, have always believed in these trends to be cyclic. And this is just a phase in that cycle of evolution. If people are becoming spiritual, after a phase of materialism, how is that degeneration? That’s evolution.
I would say that growth index of a country should not be measured in the wealth accumulation it has done… Rather, it should have a holistic parameter of how much the people in the country have grown spiritually.
IJ: Advaitmat—we are all one; you and I are one. Taking the recent scientific findings, Dr Satyendra Nath Bose’s discovery of the ‘Boson particle’ implied the same. That we all are nothing but ‘God particles’, which is all pervading.
IJ: Man forgot that he is powerful because of the feminine Shakti. By default, he started destroying all the power of a woman by curbing her growth and development in every field. Thus, he became very chaotic. Now, he is failing to handle himself. Knowledge of this whole phenomenon is missing. Shiv is the shav without the Shakti.
IJ: Loving every role and loving in every role.
IJ: I didn’t like moving around as the tail or assistant of a man, and wanted to create an identity for women in the corporate world also. I didn’t like the man’s world; for me it has to be a world of both men and women.
IJ: I wanted to establish the idea to have dispassionate politicians like Gandhi and the concept of Ahimsa or non-violence as a way of life. Thus, it happened in the presence of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
IJ: Because all the religions take you to the same goal, it very natural that there is nothing but Oneness. Each one of us has to realize and understand what appeals to us the most, and then take that path. In the end, all religions lead to the same thing: Bhakti—Gyan—Karma. The one who sees Oneness in all religions is spiritual.
IJ: Yes, very much. But then my daughter enlightened me that I could do far more and better from behind the scenes than in the forefront of politics, and she is right. Politicians are constrained with just one party and I am free to get the support of all the people and all the parties.
IJ: From 2012 onwards, a new era has begun, as many have predicted, as a new step forward towards consciousness. Those who are in connection with their souls will be the ones to benefit the maximum. So be spiritual. In spirituality, as in any other subject, there are steps to moving forward. The moment one reaches a higher class, they would automatically start believing in it. I also believe in the theory that all particles are God particles; that God is present in every particle.
IJ: It simply means not having any regrets about the past, nor worrying for the future. We spend a lot of time doing both, and it is not at all essential towards having a fulfilling life. Life is what is now. If we take care of this, past and future are taken care of on their own.
IJ: If I answer the question for somebody, then I’m answering a different question. Then I’m answering ‘Who are you?’ The very nature of ‘Who am I’ means one has to find the answer within oneself. Wake up to the reality that ‘I am God’. There is only one phenomenon manifesting in various ways and that’s what I am.
IJ: I would like to quote here: Maine jaa kar dekha hai, rehguzar ke aage bhi, rehguzar hi rehguzar hai... rehguzar ke aage bhi… Go beyond and be a witness… It is nothing but a continuum, and a new journey between life, death and life.
IJ: I had gone through the lives of roughly ninety saints and enjoyed conceptualizing an encyclopedia of saints and sages. I was born with an inclination to spirituality. My hobby, interest and passion have been nothing but spirituality. At every stage of my life, every saint I encountered was very relevant to me. It is a constant initiation, an unending journey. I was drawn to spirituality on my own. I didn't require anybody to draw me to it; I was born a seeker. I was very inquisitive and curious to explore.
IJ: Yes, experience it yourself; choose the path of your liking. If you are heart-oriented, then the bhakti marg and if mind-oriented, then the gyan marg. Be brave, dissolve your ’I’ or personal ego, and experience a collective ‘I’. That’s what you are and that’s what God is.
IJ: The most frequent question that I am asked at both places is ‘How do I combine my spiritual life and business life at the same time?’ I think the answer is that my office is just an extension of my spirituality and my desire to share my knowledge, happiness and love with others. Essentially, bringing synergy between the inner and the outer world is true ‘spirituality’.
IJ: All religions are valuable for somebody or the other. The methodology may be different, but the achievement is the same. You should be intelligent enough to choose your path, whichever appeals to you and will take you to the top.
IJ: Every part of my life is a meditation. Some of it is very active while some of it is passive. Meditation is the answer for our conflict-ridden society and as you get connected to your highest self, the answer comes from there.
IJ: When you feel so abundant that love and blessings pour out of you.
IJ: It’s a growing thing. The aim of spirituality is the growth in one’s inner and outer self. It means a balanced growth. The more your inner self grows, your outer self will also grow along with it. But people have lost this growth inside them. The time they spend on their work, business and other things, they hardly take care of their inner self.
IJ: I have moved from one guru to another and have been a devout believer of that very guru at that very moment.
IJ: Darkness is ignorance. One can be ignorant of age, time, subject, personalities, etc. So each guru has played his part to give me the vision of light as per my capability to receive.
IJ: Each one these faculties are useful according to the need of the house. I believe in holistic development. Let me not be a fourteen kala-dhari or sixteen kala-dhari, but a sarv-kaladhari; bless me to achieve that.
IJ: Do you think Krishna, with all his wealth, was in Moh and Maya? If everything is Brahmn, what would you renounce? It is a synergy; it’s a balance of both in my life. My knowledge, my love, my anandam is shared in my office very well.
IJ: Of course, Mr Shri Shri God, nothing less than God. I love to choose the highest.
IJ: Reincarnation is not a belief but it is a truth. Of course, I always like to be born as a feminine force, Shakti, always ruling over Shiva.
IJ: I am grateful to my life which is so vibrant and full of creativity. And only the world of media could satisfy all this.
IJ: To nurture the highest in me so that I can also enjoy the lowest of low and become the master of both sides of the coin.
IJ: At this age and having seen all that I’ve seen in life, what immediately appeals to me is simplicity and authenticity. And somewhere along the way, I’ve learnt that there is no good reason to get annoyed. Most of my thoughts are to give them exposure to spirituality.
IJ: The idea that you can harm somebody and do good to yourself. Foolish as it is, a lot of people follow it and I feel for their ignorance. If it were up to me, I would like to tell everybody that nature is abundant, it has enough for everybody and they need not harm each other for petty gains.
IJ: If greed was human nature, we would not have so many great people in history. Their lives prove that it is not. Greed to gain more knowledge, to do more philanthropy and so on should be viewed positively.
IJ: Remember: God is fun.
IJ: I would like to tell them that life is an incredible adventure and that they should give it their best.